The deadline is fast approaching for The First County Bank Foundations 2012 grant applications for nonprofit agencies in lower Fairfield County. If you are a non-profit that serves the communities of Stamford, Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk or Westport, please submit your applications by March 31, 2012! Last year The First County Bank Foundation awarded more than $591,000 to 108 nonprofit organizations and since its inception in 2001, has awarded a total of 544 individual grants worth more than $4.6 million. We are especially looking forward to receiving applications from new nonprofits to benefit our grant program. We are excited about all the potential opportunities available to better our community and residents and look forward to announcing this year’s grant recipients. Grant application forms are available at http://www.firstcountybank.com/application-process-0

Considered the back bone of the US economy, small business employs about half of US workers. With the economy still on a recovery path, the question should be asked:, how do small businesses survive? Earlier this month, First County Bank’s Senior VP Rick Zaremski joined co-owner and sommelier of Stamford’s Napa & Co. Mary Schaffer and SBA/SCORE mentor and instructor Jonathan Naiman as guests of WSHU’s “Fairfield County Focus” to discuss how small business owners are doing in lower Fairfield County.  Zaremski offers advice on small business loans, Schaffer talks about running a restaurant and her latest venture, Bar Rosso, and Naiman chats about what makes a strong business plan! Listen here at http://www.wshu.org/news/fcfocus.php for a unique round table broadcast on small business and the vital role it plays in the economy of lower Fairfield County. This recording of “Fairfield County Focus” and its contents are copyright © 2012 by WSHU, Fairfield, CT. WSHU Public Radio Group are owners and operators of WSHU 1260 AM, WNLK 1350 AM and WSTC 1400 AM.

Women Living Healthy in 2012, a full-day, women’s health and wellness fair takes place Thursday, March 15 at the Stamford Jewish Community Center! The JCC in partnership with Stamford Hospital, First County Bank and the Stamford Chapter of Hadassah will host this FREE event that’s open to the public featuring keynote speaker Dr. Dale Atkins! Women ages 25 -60 are invited to participate in health screenings, fitness classes, food demonstrations, panel discussions and presentations. It’s a day for women to indulge head to toe in activities that stimulate the mind, body and spirit. For more details and to sign up for fitness classes visit http://www.firstcountybank.com/women-living-healthy-2012.

The 2012 First County Bank Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award application is now available online! Honoring high school students living in lower Fairfield County, the Richard E. Taber Citizenship Award grants $5,000 scholarships each to three deserving students who have demonstrated honesty, hard work and good citizenship at home, at school and in the community. The foundation is accepting student applications through May 31. Access the online application now.

Where does good citizenship come from? Is it nature or nurture or both? I do believe some are born with a sense of good citizenship, however, I think it has more to do with nurture – specifically – how we, the collective we, nurture children; what we teach them at home, in the community, at school. Perhaps dinner table conversations at home spark a desire to help out a cause. And with the notion of leading by example, perhaps community driven programs motivate participation and a desire to be a part of change or growth. And while schools are designed to focus on academic achievement, there also seems to be an emphasis on leadership, on helping students build character and on preparing them for effective citizenship.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said ‘The practical side of good citizenship is developed most successfully in school because in miniature one is living in a society, and the conditions and problems of the larger society are more easily reproduced and met and solved. To accomplish this, however, presupposes a high grade of teaching, a teacher who not only teaches a subject but is always conscious of the relation of the subject to the larger purpose of learning to live.’ (more…)

Four local chefs will be ‘tapping’ their culinary expertise at First County Bank’s Chef’s Challenge at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center Maple Sugar Festival this weekend! Their charge is to create the best tasting recipe using none other than New England’s home grown maple syrup. Just the idea of it gets taste buds cheering! And you will be the judge. Chefs are Nikki Glekas, co-owner and chef at EOS Greek Cuisine in Stamford, Susan Kane, of Susan Kane Catering in Stamford, Jonathan Mathias, owner of A Dash of Salt in Wilton, Erik Anderson of David’s Soundview Catering in Stamford. The Chef’s Challenge is just one of many family fun activities that you can participate in, including maple sugar and tree tapping, scavenger hunts and lots of arts and crafts! The Maple Sugar Festival starts this Saturday at 11:00 am with the Chef’s Challenge beginning at 11:30 and winners will be announced at 2:00 pm! Taste, sample and judge for yourself! For more information visit http://blog.firstcountybank.com/2012/02/first-county-bank-sponsors-maple-sugar-festival-weekend/ Look forward to seeing you there!

Of the many community partnerships we participate in the Free Women’s Health Fair at the Stamford Jewish Community Center is one of my favorites. Good health is unequivocally the key to a living a good life and whenever we have an opportunity to take charge of our health we do our mind and body good. In partnership with the Stamford Jewish Community Center, Stamford Hospital and the Stamford Chapter of Hadassah, this full day event takes place March 15th and offers women health screenings, fitness classes, food demonstrations, panel discussions and more! It’s a terrific event for women to rejuvenate themselves with self care. Several of my First County Bank colleagues will be at the event speaking about achieving and maintaining financial health. We hope to see you there too! For more details visit http://www.stamfordjcc.org/index.php?src=events&srctype=detail&refno=878&category=Center%20Women.

Every year First County Bank sponsors the Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Maple Sugar Festival. In our 12th year, it is a highly anticipated fun family festival that highlights the New England tradition of maple sugaring. It’s become a popular community event, a staple in Lower Fairfield County that attracts all ages, which is why this year it’s been extended to a full weekend! There are so many amazing and unique activities to talk about like learning how to turn sap into syrup (a favorite among kids) or cheering on local chefs at the Chef’s Challenge where local caterers and restaurant chefs are tasked with creating the ‘tastiest’ recipe made with a secret ingredient — maple syrup, of course. And there’s so much more! I’ll be sharing a link with all the exciting details below. Right now, however, I want to take a moment to talk about community, our community and how on so many levels it is an extension of family. (more…)

First County Bank takes its mobile banking to the next level with new mobile banking applications for the iPad, iPhone/iPod, Droid Phones and the Blackberry for both your personal and small business online banking. The downloadable apps are available at the respective mobile devices’ app stores for free and provide users with a number of convenient options 24/7 to manage all of their finance needs in a secure and fast environment. In addition to standard features like checking available balances, the new apps offer enhanced features including interactive functionality, balance and transaction history inquiries, funds transfers between First County Bank accounts, bill pay and messaging. (more…)

Bayview Towers Community Center and Jewish Family Service, both located in Stamford, are hosting a series of financial literacy seminars for their constituents during the next six weeks. These seminars are being taught by First County Bank employee volunteers.

“This is a terrific program that First County’s Willard Miley and Michael Victor have put together with these nonprofit agencies and our volunteer instructors,” Rey Giallongo, chairman and CEO of First County Bank, recently said. “I’m really proud of these First County Bank employees who will be taking time away from their work day to help individuals confidently read, analyze and manage their personal finances in order to lead more secure and satisfying lives.”

The areas to be covered include banking (managing checking and savings accounts), budgeting, and setting and implementing financial goals (short term to retirement). To set and achieve these goals, one must have a working knowledge of financial instruments, borrowing and insurance. Maintaining good credit will save an individual a significant sum of money in interest costs, insurance premiums and may even affect one’s ability to secure employment. (more…)